Though the common industry term for used brass is “once-fired brass,” the reality is that a case may actually have been fired multiple times.
If you fire a lot of rounds for practice, competition, or want to reload your own custom ammunition for accuracy, chances are that you will end up buying used brass because it is typically more cost-effective. However, purchasing brass is complicated by several commonly used terminologies. With an understanding of each term, you can make the best decisions for your reloading bench.
Generally, used brass can be categorized into one of three categories: range brass, once-fired brass, and bulk brass. Each of these categories have their own unique characteristics, but none have specific definitions, so you may find that they overlap. It is important to determine how your supplier refers to them in order to select the right brass for your reloading needs.

What Is Range Brass?

If you are new to the reloading bench, you may have heard the term range brass. This brass is generated from shooting ranges and quality may vary depending on the range – especially indoor versus outdoor ranges. It is typically unsorted, not cleaned, and sold by ranges in 5 gallon buckets.

What Is Bulk Brass?

Bulk brass is similar to range brass, but less expensive and sold in larger quantities by companies that have bought and consolidated multiple range brass parcels. The shells will likely be mixed head stamps, dirty, and some cases will be damaged beyond use. We utilize machine sorters to achieve the rough sort, then finish with a hand sort and inspection process for better quality control.

What Is Capital Cartridge Mission?

Capital Cartridge has been a bulk supplier of once fired brass shell casings for commercial and recreational reloading since 2012. We provide large volumes of high quality, fully segregated brass casings to our customers. All of our product is hand inspected for caliber accuracy and brass quality. We strive to provide the best quality brass cases for reloading, most accurate sort, and best customer service than any other operation in the nation.